Bank-check or the like.



ANO. 741,900.

v PATBNTED OCT. 20, 1903. S. W. PINCE. BANK CHECK 0B. 'THB LIKE.

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BANK CHECK 0K THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1a. 41902.

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Nrrnn STATES Patented October 20, 1903.

BANK-CHECK OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No."741,900, dated October 20, 1903. Application filed September 13,1902, Serial. No. 123.348. (No modell) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STANLEY W. FINcH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have in-` vented certain new and useful Improvements in Bank-Checks or the Like, of which the fol flowing is a specification.

My present invention pertains to bank-` checks or the like, the construction and arrangement of which will be hereinafter seti forth, reference being had tothe annexed; drawings, wherein- Figure lis a face view of a blank checki with its attached stub; Figs. 2, 3, and 4, similar views showing the checks drawn for dif-1 ferent amounts, the stubs being separated] therefrom and each check formed with a protective projection orprojections indicative ofi the amount for which the check is drawng Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, views showing various? forms of rules by which the check may be protected; and Fig. 9, a perspective View of ai portion of a rule, showing the cutting or tearing edges in detail. Y

The object of my invention is to protect a `check in such manner that it cannot be raised to a greater amount than that for which it was originally drawn. Heretofore many methods have been proposed for accomplish-` ing this end; but so far as I am aware none have been universally successful and have necessitated more or less alteration'in thei body of the check or the imprinting of certain matter thereon.

Under my method a projection or series ofl projections of arbitrary shape are formed on the check, preferably in the act of severing the check from its stub, which projection or projections denote or show absolutely the amount for which the check is drawn. Furthermore, the projections are so formedthat any alteration in their shape if not destroying the value of the check altogether will simply lower the amount noted and render the variance between. the face of the check and such projections immediately apparent.

In Fig. l I have shown one form of check, though, as will be readily apparent, other forms may be employed so long as they contain the elements essential to the practice of my method. The body A of the check contains the usual printed matter, though, of

course, this and other marks hereinafter referred to may all be written or placed thereon in any manner. Along one side of the check and immediately adjacent to that portion which is to form one edge thereof is printed aseries of decimal notations-forinstance, in the form illustrated, the Words Hundreds of thousands, Tens of thousands, Thousauds, Hundredsj7 Tens, and Units A stud B (or other strip which may be severed from the body of the check) is formed adja- 1 cent to saidnotations, and opposite each appear abbreviations corresponding to the notations-to Wit, II. T., T. T.,` T., H., T. and U. The stub or strip may of course contain any other desired matter. After the check is drawn it is severed from the stub, the line of severance being close up will be formed with a rule having a series of indentations or notches along its edge or edges, or a series of rules, each having an arbitrary notch or series of notches, may be employed. In-Fig. 5 a single'rule is shown, with the cutting-notches formed along one edge. The first notch ais designed to form a projection on the check indicative of l. The second notch b will form a double projection indicative of 2, the third and fourth notches c and d forming three and four projections indicative of 3 and 4. The fth notch e is given a different shape, conforming in general outline to the Roman numeral V, so that the single projection it will form will stand for 5 and will be clearly distinguishable from the.projection formed by the notch on, as that will partake more of the similarity tothe numeral 1. At least, it will be much .narrower at the base, with one edge standing at approximately right angles to the edge of the check. It will likewise by preference be ICO made slightly more shallow. The sixth notch fis formed substantially on the lines ofVI- that is to say, a 4Wide V-notch and a single narrow notch, with one edge at right angles to the rule. The three remaining notches or series ot notches indicate 7, 8, and 9 and correspond in general to the Roman nu- ,inerals for such notations. The rule may be made in the form shown in Fig. 7, with a series of separate fingers C connected to or extending from a common connecting-barD, each finger having one or more ofthe cutting-notches formed therein. Again, a series of separate rules, each formed with one severing-notch, may be connected together, as illustrated in Fig. 8.

In Fig. 6 a rule is shown having a different form of notch from that illustrated in the other figures. They are simply arbitrary symbols which form projections on the end of the check or other evidence of value from l to 9; The projectionsformed by it may be reduced in size, thus at the saine time reducing their indicative value; but they'cannot be so altered as to raise the amount.

In Fig. 9 a detail of one of the notches is shown, illustrating'the inward-tearing edge g and sharp cutting edge h. This arrangement is found in practice to give a clean severance of the paper, though, of course, any other practicable form may be employed.

In protecting a check-say, for instance, that shown in Fig. 2, which is drawn for seven hundred and fifty thousand six hundred dollars--the rule is so applied along the line of severance as to form opposite the decimal notation Hundreds of thousands the projections corresponding to 7, opposite the decimal notation Tens of thousands the projection (or projections, as the case may be) corresponding to 5, and opposite the word Hundreds the arbitrary projection (or projections) corresponding to 6. No projections will be formed opposite the Thousands, Tens, and Units, and there will be no room for the formation of any. As will be readily seen, any alteration of the projections will simply tend to lower their indicative value.

The' checks shown in Figs. 3 and 4 simply illustrate the adaptability of the method. Furthermore, there will be formed on the stub a complemental indication which will show at a glance to the drawer of the check the amount for which it was drawn.

As before noted, the form of check shown is merely illustrative, and, any check or evidence of value capable of being protected in the manner above set forth fails within the spirit and scope of my invention.

As will be seen upon reference Yto Fig. 2, the stub of the check may be formed with a line ot perforations, as at m, which will permit the ready severance of the check from the major portion of the stub in case it is not desired to protect the check by the method above set forth.

In order to facilitate the ready reading or understanding of the notches of the ruler, it may be provided with numbers opposite each notch, as shown in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive.

No claim is herein made to the rule or severing device having the notches therein for forming the arbitrary projections. That is reserved for another application.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A check or the like, having a series of decimal or other notations thereon, with a series of projections formed opposite a notation, said project-ions being of special form or contour indicative, by reason of their form, of a predetermined value.

2. A check or the like, having a series of decimal or other notations thereon, with a series of projections of varying shape or contour formed opposite the corresponding notation for which the check is. drawn upon its face, said projections being` of special form or contour and indicative, by reason of their form, of a predetermined value.

3. A check or the like, having'a series ot decimal or other notations thereon,with a projection free from surface marks formed opposite a notation, the form or contour of said projection alone signifying a numerical value corresponding'to the face of the check.

4. A check or the like, having a series of decimal or other notations thereon,with a projection free from indicating-marks upon its face formed opposite one of said notations, the notation opposite which the projection is formed and the shape cf the projection together signifying the amount for which the check is drawn.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

STANLEY W. FINCH.

\Vitnesses:

HORACE A. DODGE, C. C. BURDINE.

IOC 

